Does Amazon Deliver On Christmas Eve? You Might Not Want To Push It

The other day, I saw a meme on Instagram that said, "Other mom: I finished all my Christmas shopping. Me: Cool, I finished eating all my kid's Halloween candy." I laughed and so did moms everywhere because holiday shopping really has a way of getting away from you, right? Whether you are still in a Thanksgiving food coma or simply procrastinating on braving shopping crowds, it's easy to delay getting presents for everyone on your list. Of course, that's why shopping on Amazon is so convenient — no crowds and quick shipping. But does Amazon deliver on Christmas Eve?

But if you are a non-Prime member, then you won't be so lucky. The cutoff date for receiving free shipping for holiday packages — and still receiving them by Dec. 24 — is Dec. 15. If you need to have something in time for Christmas Eve, then you will have to pony up for faster shipping.

Curious if you are one of the lucky cities who can receive same-day Amazon deliveries or even within two hours? The perk is a benefit of Prime Now and you can search your zip code to see if your city is eligible. According to Amazon, the two-hour delivery is free and one-hour delivery is available in most areas for just $7.99. Bonus? The service is available seven days a week. Select areas include: Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Berkeley, Brooklyn, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Orange County, Miami, Minneapolis and St. Paul, Nashville, New York City, Northern Virginia, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Raleigh, Richmond, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Eastside, and Virginia Beach.

And it's not just for holiday gifts. Prime Now includes groceries, gifts, and goodies from your favorite local stores. In Chicago, that means Plum Market, Eataly and Eataly Vino, Merz, and My Fit Foods. If you are in New York, then you'll find items from Westside Market, Eataly, Gourmet Garage, Union Square Wine & Spirits, Vintage Grape Wine & Spirits, and Billy's Bakery.

You know what this means, right? Not only do you get to skip out on holiday shopping crowds at the mall and your local shopping plaza where you will inevitably run into someone you don't want to see no matter how hard you try to avoid them, but you can also opt out of grocery store shopping. Whether it's a missing ingredient for a favorite recipe or cookies for Santa, you can order last-minute groceries for your holiday dinner party or a cozy Christmas morning at home without ever stepping out of your pajamas and cozy slippers.

Of course, UPS has already begun to warn shoppers that they are falling behind on deliveries, Amazon shipments included. "It looks like the next three weeks are going to be challenging, particularly with serving Amazon,” Robert Kirchner, a pilot for Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings and executive council chairman of Teamsters Local 1224, told the Washington Post. “Amazon is already expecting delay problems — we know this from UPS and certainly from our own flight problems — and we’re expecting that it’s going to get worse in the next two weeks leading up to Christmas.”

So, while Amazon certainly does have amazing shipping policies, you may not want to test the limits too much. Instead, slip into your comfiest sweats, toss your hair up in a messy ponytail, and get to work at that keyboard. It's time to shop 2017 style.